How A Family Was Made
by ArtisticWriter796
Summary: Alfred and Mathieu spent their whole lives watching the children around them, and felt lonesome at times. Could they possibly find a way to bring their bickering guardians together in order to make the family they've always wanted? Who knows, maybe Arthur and Francis could learn to get along. Mainly cute family fluff, and a bit of FrUk :D. Rated T to be safe, but it's all clean :-)
1. Chapter 1

**How A Family Was Made**

The tall white chapel stood tall against the blue sky, illuminated by plentiful sunshine. The little village bustled unearth. People entered shops, bought their groceries from markets, and were just going about their business along the cobblestoned roads. The wind billowed a British flag, proudly marking this place as a colony of Great Britain.

A little distance from the center of town was the small park, filled with vegetation and a perfect view of town from a bench. Behind one of the many shrubs, two blonde boys were talking and playing, enjoying the beautiful summer day. The one with the little cowlick laughed often, shouting and blabbering a mile a minute. The other blonde, with a small hair curl protruding from the top of his head and fell to the side of his face, was much more quiet, but still as lively as the other boy. Looking at these two boys from a distance, one would assume that they were just normal boys of the colony, brothers for sure. They probably lived in a small wooden house like the rest of the colonists, with a mother to take care of them and a father who works to provide for the family. Yes, that was the typical classification of a colonial child; however, these two boys deviated from the norm. Not by choice of course, but just by what they were.

They were human representations of the European claims on this virgin land: The colonies. The louder one (called America by most, but Alfred by his big brother) was the colonies of Great Britain. He was taken care of by England. The quiet boy on the other hand was both an English and French colonial claim, and spent time with both men on separate occasions. He even had two different human names; Mathieu is what France called him, and England called him Matthew (a slightly different pronunciation, because each country refuses to use each other's languages out of spite). Whether he was in the French colonies or the English, his official name was Canada.

Alfred and Mathieu were hanging out in one of England's colonies, and it had been one of the only times the boys had seen each other in a long time. They were so happy to be in each other's company; this was not only because they were brothers, but also because they never knew when they would be left alone next. Their guardians England and France would stay a long period of time with the boys, but would have to eventually have to return to their own countries for a bit. Alfred and Mathieu equally hated these times with a passion. Grumpy caretakers didn't like to play, or to explore, or to tell great stories. Or to love them.

There was no one to love them while England and France were gone.

Despite having to deal with these long spans of loneliness, the boys tried to keep their spirits up. However on this particular day, Alfred couldn't get a thought out of his mind.

"Hey, Mattie?" Alfred softly asked.

"What Alfred?" the other boy responded, a little confused by his brother's sudden calmness.

"Look at this." He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and spun him around to face the view of the town.

"What am I supposed to be looking at exactly?" Mathieu asked, his confusion increasing.

"Look at them all. Everyday I see them like this. Those kids there, they are walking with their parents," he pointed at a few groups of people and asked" don't you think it would be nice for us to have parents to walk with everyday too?"

"We have Arthur (England's human name) and I have Francis (which was France's human name). We aren't alone." Mathieu replied. He didn't like the sad look that darkened his brother's eyes. "We have people to take care of us."

"Yeah I know," Alfred admitted, "but they aren't together. It's always Arthur and me, or you are with us too. Sometimes you just stay with Francis, and we barely get to see each other for months."

"Well they can't help that, they have to work, they don't want to leave us here." Mathieu reminded him, although he saw that his brother had a legitimate reason to be upset. This bothered Mathieu from time to time too.

"I know that, but look at the other kids," he pointed again to the groups of families walking through the streets across the way. "They get to spend time together, as a _family._ We never get that, and we are almost the same as those kids. Don't you think we should have something like that too?"

Mathieu sighed. That _would _be quite lovely, he thought. Just to have some time together. He would be with his brother not only once a month, or once every couple of months but everyday. He'd always be in the same home, with the same familiar smells and sounds that are in his two separate homes. He'd hear the stories and jokes and laughs of three people, not just two or one. Also, there would be two adults who cared so very much about him and his brother, and cared for each other too. Only there was one problem…

"Yes, that would be nice, but you know Arthur and Francis hate each other," Mathieu sadly replied.

"But maybe they can learn not to?" Alfred offered, the tone of his voice indicated that he wasn't even sure that was possible. "Oh oh!" He suddenly shouted, "Or maybe we can think up a way that they'll have to spend time with each other. If we make it so that they have to be with us, maybe they could learn to get alone better. They always avoid each other, so maybe getting them together would be the answer!" Alfred grinned, his eyes glittering with excitement.

"Hmmm…you know that might work," Mathieu pondered, and then asked, "But how would we get them to spend time together with us? And for how long?" Mathieu was hoping that Alfred could think of something. He was good at making up plans, mostly schemes that he pulled so not to get into trouble with Arthur. Mathieu hoped his brother would be able to use his mischievous talent to think of something.

Alfred furrowed his brows in thought, dragging his hand across the soft grass.

"Hmmm…" he mumbled to himself. He then asked, "Is there any big event coming up?"

"Uhh… if you count our birthdays. Mine is just three days before yours." Mathieu replied.

Alfred jumped up and shouted, "MATTIE! THAT'S IT!"

"What is?" Mathieu whimpered, covering his throbbing ears brought on upon by Alfred's loudness.

"Our birthdays! We. Could. Have. An. Awesome. BIRTHDAY PARTY!"

Alfred started laughing, amused at his genius. Mathieu smiled and cried, "Oh yes that would be perfect! I know both of them would want to plan something special for our birthdays."

"AND we can tell them that for our birthdays we want to see each other," Alfred added.

"THEN we can say that we want both of them there with us, since they are our guardians!" Mathieu exclaimed, jumping up with excitement.

"YESSSS! THAT'S PERFECT!" Alfred cried. He grabbed Mathieu's shoulders and shook them, "DUDE!"

"Eugh Alfred, please don't shake me," Mathieu whined, but then remarked, "This is going to be so perfect!"

"And your birthday is a few weeks away; we should have it on yours so that we don't have to wait as long. Plus, it'll give us a bigger advantage of them saying yes since they both own you." Alfred stated.

"Good idea! And we can have it here or in one of Arthur's more northern colonies, so that way Papa won't have to go too far." Mathieu added.

"Alright then it's official then! I'll talk to Arthur, and you'll talk to Francis. We're gonna make this happen dude! Shake on it." Alfred proclaimed, and stuck his hand out to his brother. Mathieu enthusiastically grabbed and shook his brother's hand, responding,

"It's a deal alright!"

The two boys spent the rest of the day relaxing and discussing all the events that happened in their homes; however, the excitement of the birthday party never left their minds. They now had an image and a plan, and they were determined to make this party a reality.

Finally, they had an opportunity to have the family they've always wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note from author: Hey Guys! I wanted to say thank you so much for the follows and for that review on the first chapter of my story. I'm glad you all are enjoying this story just as much as I did while writing it. Feel free to review if you wish, but first and foremost enjoy the next installment of this story! ~ArtisticWriter796. DISCLAIMER: Again, I do not own any of the characters :D **

**French Translations: "mon cher"= my dear, "Ouais je sais!"= Yes I know, "Angleterre"= England, "Il me deteste"= he hates me, "s'il vous-plait"= please, "Pour moi, pour mon anniversaire"= For me, for my birthday?", "d'accord"= Ok, "De rien, mon garçon"= You're welcome, my boy. **

The wooden smell wafted in the air as the sunshine filtered through the green canopies. Animals were scurrying around and birds were hopping from branch to branch; the whole world was breathing around them. Everything seemed so perfect…

The outdoors was always one of Mathieu's favorite places. He loved to run along the rugged pathways, jumping over rocks and diving under branches, exploring as far as his little legs would carry him. He couldn't quite explain it, but it just made him so happy. He felt that when he goes into the wilderness that he be _anything_. He was the chipmunk scurrying around the brown-carpeted soil. He was the ants walking along, building their empire one leaf at a time. He was the cool, melodic breeze that blew through the trees and breaths life into all things born under the lovely sun.

Another person, to his joy, who enjoyed his bountiful nature, was Francis. Countless of afternoons the boys would go walking together hand in hand, absorbing all the rugged beauty around them. Their laughter and joy would echo through the forests for hours and hours, making them some of the happiest memories of his small life.

In fact, Francis was so fascinated by the untouched beauty that he desired to capture it, telling Mathieu, _"Through art, we can preserve the beauties of our world forever. It really is a wonderful thing mon cher, I shall teach you how to make art so you can always have the things you love."_

Keeping true to his promise, Francis got into the practice of taking Mathieu out for the day to go painting around his home. Mathieu noted that Francis had a talent of picking a beautiful place every time.

It was on one of these Nation-Colony outings that Mathieu decided to bring up the party plan that him and Alfred crafted for weeks. He kept quiet while the boys were searching for a spot, and kept his lips zipped as they set up their easels and canvases. It was when they were finally all settled did Mathieu let the plan float back into his thoughts. Now that the time came, Mathieu felt his little throat clench in fear: what if Francis would say no? He had to at least try though, he had promised Alfred. Mathieu hesitantly turned his head to the side and looked at Francis. Deep concentration was etched into his face, his hand swishing carefully with each stroke of the paintbrush. Mathieu would much rather just watch Francis paint (since Mathieu did not have a great talent for it), but knew this was a now-or-never situation. Mathieu took a final deep breath and broke the curtain of silence between them.

"Hey Papa?" Mathieu nervously asked.

"Oui, Mathieu, what is it?" Francis replied, addressing the little blonde boy sitting next to him.

"You know, it-it's my birthday soon." He piped out, strategically leading into his request.

"Ouais, je sais!" Francis replied enthusiastically, "Are you excited?"

"Yes I am, and I really want this one thing…"

Francis put down his paintbrush and looked at Mathieu. Smiling, he asked,

"And what would that be, mon cher?" Mathieu looked up at Francis's face. His guardian's expression was so soft, his blue eyes shining with an assuring warmness. The simple familiarity of his kind brother soothed his nerves a bit, confidence slowly warming his tongue.

"Well," Mathieu began, " Alfred and I really wanted to celebrate our birthdays together this year, so we both decided a fun way to do that would be a party." He paused, seeing that the man's gaze was still on him, "And w-we thought that it would be super fun if you and Mr. England would come and be with us. You know, so we could be together." Francis's posture stiffened a bit at the mentioning of "Mr. England."

"You boys want me _and_ Angleterre there, at the _same_ time?" he inquired a little uncomfortably. "You know we don't get along, at all. Il me deteste."

"Oui, Papa," Mathieu confirmed. He locked his dark blue eyes with his guardian's lighter ones and explained, "Alfred and I are real brothers, which makes us family. I know you and Mr. England aren't related, but-b-but," he stuttered, "But you mean a lot to me, and I like Mr. England too, and I know he means the world to Alfred. We would really love to just be with the people we love the most."

"Oh Mathieu…" Francis responded, appearing not knowing how to respond. However, Mathieu still felt very much determined. He had to say yes, he just _had to_.

Francis' face looked almost pained as he let out a deep breath. He placed his hand on the little boy's shoulder and sighed, "That's really sweet, but you know how Angleterre and I are. We would probably end up fighting, and I wouldn't want that to spoil your birthday."

"S'il vous-plait Papa," Mathieu whimpered, using the pretty-please-with-maple-syrup-on-top face Alfred had helped him rehearse. He was not going to fail, he was going to get their family together; him and Alfred swore to it, and he wasn't going to give up. "You wouldn't ruin my birthday I promise. Pour moi, pour mon anniversaire? S'il vous-plait?" He stared at him with his wide, whimpering eyes. For a split second Mathieu felt a bit guilty for putting Francis under pressure, but the dream Alfred and him had justified itself. Francis took a deep breath, pushed a golden strand out of his face and replied,

"Well, where would it be? If this were to happen?" His voice was stern, and his eyes hinted negotiation.

"Alfred's house! He said he would have it there" Mathieu quickly responded, getting excited. There was no way he could say no! He started to smile with a premature triumph when Francis shot another question at him

"And Angleterre? He knows about this and gave his consent?"

"Alfred is going to ask him, but I'm sure it will all work out," and added, "Things always work in your favor when you put your mind to it, non?" He smiled, knowing that quoting Francis was going to get him bonus points. As predicted, said man laughed and ruffled the little boy's hair affectionately.

"D'accord, d'accord. If Angleterre is ok with it, then I would be delighted to come to yours and Alfred's birthday party."

Mathieu let out a little happy yelp and jumped over to him. He wrapped his little arms around Francis' waist in a hug.

"Oh merci Papa! I am so excited!" Mathieu cried, burying his face into his beloved guardian. Francis placed his brush down returned the hug, loving the sudden burst of affection from his little colony.

"De rien, mon garcon," Francis cooed, kissing the top of the boy's head. He stated, "I didn't realize that it would mean that much to you."

"More than you know," Mathieu confirmed, completely consumed with joy. The two separated and Mathieu happily floated back to his canvas, completely elated.

He then faced a greyish blob with brush stokes anxiously plastered across the canvas: not exactly the artistic masterpiece he had in mind. His goal was to paint his furry companion Kumojuro, who was sleeping in the grass in the distance. However, he couldn't have cared less and was dying to tell Alfred the fantastic news.

"Hey, Papa, do you mind if I go back to the house?" He asked.

"Sure Mathieu, I can walk you back. Just clean up your stuff then I'll let you into the house, d'accord?" He answered warmly. So after brief packing up of Mathieu's things, the two boys walked home.

This, Mathieu thought, was the perfect ending to the perfect day.

xxxxxxx

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Arthur roared, throwing down the cloth he was using to clean the dishes. Alfred had just proposed his and Mathieu's birthday plan after dinner, which Arthur brutally rejected

"But why not?" Alfred complained, looking up to a very-flustered Arthur.

"There is no way I am going to spend time with that bloody Frog against my will, and the same goes for you!" He huffed. Turning away from the frustrated child and violently scrubbing a mug, he continued, "He is my enemy, and I will not tolerate his presence under any circumstances."

"Oh come on Arthur!" Alfred protested, stomping his foot, "It'll be you, me, Mattie, and him. It wouldn't be that bad. It's not like I don't know him already." Alfred's anger escalated and he blurted out, "Mattie knows him, does that mean Mattie is our enemy too?"

Arthur paused and faced the boy with a fierce glare.

"Are you using an attitude with me? Now that certainly isn't a way to get what you want. You better watch yourself boy." He warned, wagging his finger at him.

"You didn't answer my question though!" Alfred cried, still ever defiant.

"About Matthew?" Arthur asked. Alfred nodded.

"No of course he's not our enemy, he belongs to me too." Arthur sighed, "I care about him just as I care about you. Just because I don't see him as often doesn't mean I don't care, don't you worry yourself." Arthur confirmed, "If I could have it my way I'd have both of you boys under my care, but Francis has more custody of him. You know that Alfred."

"Well this _could_ a way to see him more often, don't you see?" Alfred argued, "Him and I will be able to spend more time together as a family, and you will be with us. Francis means a lot to Mattie, like what you mean to me." He paused, his voice getting chocked up and continued, "We just want to be with the people we love for our birthdays. It's all we want."

Tears leaked out from his eyes as he stared exasperated at Arthur's, looking for some glimmer of comfort in his seething emerald stare.

"I barely get to see him Arthur, and he's my brother. You're my brother too and I love you, so don't you want us all to be together?"

With that, Alfred slumped onto the ground and let the tears run free down his face. He couldn't let Mattie down, and he couldn't let himself down! But there he was, utterly defeated. Why did Arthur have to be so mean sometimes?

Arthur looked down at his weeping colony, eyebrows knitted in exasperation. A sharp blade of guilt plunged into his chest when he realized he was the one who reduced his colony to tears. Was he too harsh on the boy?

"Oh Alfred, please don't cry." Arthur pleaded, putting the dishes down and kneeling to Alfred's height; the guilt was crushing him. "There's no need to cry." Arthur took Alfred into his arms, comforting his colony as his small frame shook with sobs.

"Shhhh Shhhh Shhh love, don't cry." Arthur whispered, slightly rocking Alfred back and forth. Eventually the young boy's sobs turned into sniffles, but it was still clearly evident that he was distraught.

"What has got you so upset? Surely it isn't this? Does this really mean that much to you?" Arthur asked into Alfred's golden hair, growing more concerned and guilty.

"Yes, it is Arthur, and it does. We really want to get together. We know you two don't get along, but we thought for just this once?" Alfred whimpered, snuggling closer to him.

Arthur placed his hand on his face, sighing. Alfred really had his heart and soul into this; he was shocked and even a little touched about how dedicated he was into bringing them all together. That dedication was admirable, and Arthur felt that…. although it would pain him….that Alfred's wishes should be recognized. After all, he thought of his brother too. Arthur did want to see the two boys together again.

"Alright, since it means so much to you two, I suppose I could handle being with that Frogface for a night."

Suddenly the little boy's body sprung up and his face sported an excited smile.

"Arthur! Are you saying—"

"Yes, Alfred. I give you permission to have your birthday party here with all of us."

"Oh dude THANK YOU!" Alfred yelled, knocking the wind out of Arthur in a bone-crushing hug.

Arthur laughed at Alfred's enthusiasm, hugging him back.

"You're welcome dear," Arthur replied, and kissed the top of the little boy's head. "We do have to work on that 'dude' word though, where on earth did you develop that?"

Alfred laughed, running away from Arthur with a mischievous grin on his face.

"You'll never know dude! AHAHAHAHAAA!"

The two boys spent the rest of the night without an issue, but Alfred was beaming as if it was the greatest day of his life. It was going to happen, they were going to get together as a family! He did it! Now all he had to do was to hear if Mattie got Francis to say yes.

He really was the hero of this operation, wasn't he?

xxxxxxx

Alfred dashed through the woods, the sunlight of the early morning filtering on his little blonde head through the canopy of trees. The smell of the fresh earth energized him as his little legs rushed him to the spot him and Mattie were supposed to meet. He laughed with glee as he jumped over roots, flying through the air like he was a hawk swooping down to its prey. With the cool forest breeze flying through his hair and the rough forest ground pounding under his feet, Alfred felt like he could do _anything_. He jumped and twirled around, laughing and opening his arms out to the beautiful terrain. This whole unknown wilderness was his kingdom; he knew it and embraced it with every fiber of his being. Here in his wilderness he was not just a little boy, he was the invincible Alfred, the great man of America. However, Arthur was less fond of Alfred's little adventures into the woods. He would go on and on about it being "unsafe" and "someone could have hurt you and blah blah blah…."

Alfred thought Arthur was quite silly with his worries, and tried to keep most of his little excursions a secret. What Arthur didn't know wouldn't kill him right?

After a little bit Alfred reached that one bush in the woods where he would make his call out to Mattie. He cupped his little hands around his mouth and called

"Cooooo cooooo!" If he heard the response of his brother, then he'd know he was there too. After a few seconds a very faint "Coooo….coooo?" echoed back to him, and Mattie emerged behind another bush a few yards away.

"MATTIE!" Alfred cried, charging at his brother and jumped on him in a huge hug.

"Ahh! Eh..Hi Alfred. Do you mind letting go of me please? You're a little heavy…and you're crushing my windpipes…" Mathieu whimpered.

"Oops, sorry Mattie, I forgot you were so _fragile_" Alfred giggled, teasing his brother a little bit.

"Francis says I'm _delicate_, which is elegant and proper." Mathieu huffed back at him, a little annoyed at the jab.

"Ok, use any fancy word you want, but did you ask him if we could have the party? Huh? HUH?" Alfred shouted. He was getting hyper with excitement. Mathieu sighed and responded,

"Yes, he did," he smiled, "But only with Mr. England's permission."

"YES!" Alfred jabbed the air, jumping up and down and cheering with joy. Mathieu's eyes followed the jumping ecstatic boy and asked, "And I am assuming that Mr. England did say yes then?"

"He did Mattie!" Oh my God this is going to be sooooo much fun!" With that, Alfred grabbed Mathieu's hands and made him jump too. "I'm. So. EXCITED!"

Mathieu laughed at his brother's enthusiasm, and cried, "Oh oui, I am too!"

After that, the two boys excitedly discussed all the games they were going to play and all the things they were going to say. Hide and Go Seek? Dress Up? Tag? Anything was possible as the two little boys brainstormed their perfect night. The two talked into the afternoon, and bid each other farewell as they hurried on back to their homes.

Each boy had a huge smile on their face as they were walking home, knowing that now finally their dream was going to come true. They were going to be together as a family, for one night they were going to have what all the other children had. They could just be normal kids, with the adults who love and care for them. They could have a real family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note from the Author: Hello again guys! Thank you so much for the reviews/follows/favorites, I am so happy you are enjoying the story! So in the next chapter we are going to bring in Arthur and Francis, so be prepared *laughs***

**Enjoy! :D **

"Dude, are they here yet?"

"No Alfred they are not here yet, and will you stop using that word?"

"Ok I'll try…."

"Good."

A few moments had passed.

"…..Are they here now?"

"Oh for bloody goodness sake no they are not here yet! Stop asking!"

Alfred's bright blue eyes were practically glued to the front door, anxiously anticipating the arrival of Mathieu and Francis. Tonight was when the two boys were to have their birthday party. Arthur and Alfred were waiting in their small wooden cabin in one of the more northern colonies to decrease the distance the other two had to make. It was a bit of a cool night, but the excitement that radiated out of Alfred seemed to heat up the whole room. Arthur turned around to look at his little colony, who was sitting in a chair right next to the door. He was always so energetic, so silly; Arthur admitted that he envied and admired Alfred's carefree attitude. Alfred was like his personal little sun, constantly shining down on him despite whatever mood Arthur was in. He smiled at the glowing little boy, and called

"You know sitting by the door will not make them come any faster." Alfred turned his wide eyes to Arthur and answered,

"I guess you're right…ok." Alfred hopped off the little chair and ran over to the sitting room and plopped himself next to Arthur.

"Arthur?" Alfred asked, looking up at his guardian with expectant eyes

"Yes Alfred?" he replied,

"Are we going to play pirates when they come?" Arthur laughed and cooed,

"Well maybe, I'll guess we will have to—"

A large bell echoed from the front of the house interrupted Arthur.

"THEY'RE HERE!" Alfred cried, and rushed to the door at the speed of light.

"Alfred, wait!" Arthur shouted, getting up and running after the little boy. "Let me answer the door, okay?"

"Hmmph," was Alfred's response. Arthur sighed in humor at the little boy and spoke at the door,

"Who is it?"

"Bonjour, Angleterre~" answered a muffled Frenchman's voice. Alfred giggled at the funny sounds in the foreign accent. Arthur grumbled and opened the door, saying

"Once you step through my doors Bonnefoy, you speak English you hear?"

The door revealed the tall blonde man in an elegant long coat the color of the midnight sky. The front had sliver embroidery of leaves, vines, and other artistic designs; the coat also sported silver buttons. His blonde hair fell under a dark hat the same color as the jacket, with similar decorations. Hugging at the man's legs was a little boy with long blonde hair, sporting an outfit similar to the man's.

"Hey guys! Welcome to our home!" Alfred cheered, spreading his arms wide and motioning into the house. Francis chuckled and replied,

"Hello there Alfred, thank you. It's good to see you." He smiled sweetly at the young boy, who returned the grin at the man and at his brother. Mathieu scooted forward from behind Francis' legs and stuttered a polite

"Hel-lo Mr. England. And hi Alfred." Alfred smiled happily at his brother, but Arthur just looked at Mathieu; the poor boy seemed scared out of his wits. Arthur smiled warmly at him, kneeling down to his height and saying.

"Hello there, Matthew, long time no see. It's good to see you again, you're getting so big aren't you?"

Mathieu smiled at Arthur's warm greeting and replied,

"I guess I am, and yes, it is Mr. England sir."

"Oh you don't have to call me that dear," Arthur explained, "That's far too formal, you can call me Arthur."

Mathieu smiled again, inching further away from Francis and closer to Arthur, responding, "Ok I will, Arthur." The little boy's eyes lit up and his shyness melted away, which brought a smile to everyone's faces.

"Alright, now let's have some FUN!" Alfred yelled, grabbing Mathieu's hand and pulling him past Arthur and into the house.

Francis chuckled at the little boys and then set his eyes on Arthur, who had been avoiding all eye contact with him.

"Oh Arthur, do you find pleasure in seeing me too again, hmm?" He teased, arching his eyebrow, trying to get a reaction out of the Englishman.

Arthur let out a "humph" and declared, "Of course not, but you can pretend so if you'd so fancy it."

"Oh mon cher, you love me admit it," Francis exclaimed. He then winked at Arthur and walked past him into the house.

"I'd love for you to get hit in the head with a sharp object." Arthur grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest and entering the house.

"Soooo, maybe we should start by introducing ourselves?" Alfred announced. Francis had put down all the groceries he brought with him and all four boys were sitting in the living room; the adults were awkwardly waiting for the children to commence their desired festivities.

"Alfred, we already know each other," Arthur remarked.

"Yeah, but I don't know all of you that well…" his wide blue eyes turned to the Frenchman across from him, "Like you dude. I know you're France, and Mattie has told me some stuff about you, but is there anything else I should know about ya?" Alfred asked, a little smile playing on his lips. Francis returned a smile to Alfred, leaning forward and responding,

"Okay, Alfred, what would you like to know?"

"Hmm…" Alfred tapped his finger against his chin in thought, and then suddenly shouted, " I don't know, like stuff. Tell me about your country. All I know about is England."

"And what's wrong with that?" Arthur asked him.

"Oh nothing, but you know I'm a bit curious." Alfred replied, not noticing Arthur's annoyance.

"Actually," Mathieu softly piped out, "I would like to know more about England, since I usually just hear about France. Maybe you guys could tell us some stories about yourselves? I'm sure they will be very interesting."

At this moment the two men were surprised that Mathieu had spoken so much, since he had been sitting there in a calm silence. In that surprise they failed to notice the little hand motion Alfred made to Mathieu. One little finger move was a secret code that the boys had formulated when they met at the woods. They planned conversation topics that would get their guardians to talk about themselves, and maybe get them to ask about each other. The parent's of the children in their villages talked to each other, so Alfred and Mathieu were determined to have Arthur and Francis talk to each other too. The little hand motion was Alfred giving Mathieu said: _yeah, good idea, proceed! _

"Well Alfred, I am the country of love, all of our people are very talented and beautiful and—"

"Oh don't buy that Alfred," Arthur huffed, you're an Englishman, don't forget it."

"But I wanna know more…" Alfred whined.

"Oh it's okay Alfred, Angleterre is just a bit," Francis cupped his hand as if he was whispering to Alfred and said, "_jealous_."

Both of the little boys broke into a heavy fit of giggles as Arthur's face reddened.

"I am NOT jealous."

"Are so."

"Am so not!"

"Oui, Angeterre~"

"NO!"

"Oui~"

"NON!"

A gasp broke out among the three other people, Francis' being more mocking than authentic.

"Mr. England, I didn't know you spoke francais." Matthew exclaimed, looking up at Arthur with interest, "I know you don't like it all too much, so I'm sorry if I say a bit here…"

"Oh, you don't have to apologize for that Matthew," Arthur sighed, his hand currently covering the blush of embarrassment on his face, "You can't help it, it's his fault. He even got me to speak some."

"Yeah, that was pretty hilarious dude," Alfred piped in.

"My my Angleterre, I am impressed!" Francis exclaimed, his eyes still teasing, "Did you maybe remember that little phrase from our childhood, hmmm?"

"You guys knew each other when you were kids?" Matthew and Alfred asked at the same time. Arthur groggily replied,

"Yes, unfortunately we did. And I only spoke one word of your language so maybe you'd finally understand that you were bloody wrong."

"That's so nice. Were you guys friends?" Mathieu asked, looking at them kindly. Francis exclaimed,

"Well of course we were! Arthur here was always a big fan of me, and we'd play together all the time—"

"We were not friends…" Arthur huffed. At that moment he felt a twinge in his heart at the memory of them as children. They sorta got along at times… before the wars broke out. He would never admit it, but he did look up to the older nation when he was really little.

"Well actually… we were kind of friends. Acquaintances more like, since he found a great deal of pleasure from teasing me."

"You teased him Papa?" Mathieu asked, turning his head to Francis with a look of disapproval.

"Oh, just a little bit." Francis replied, swishing his hand as if it blew the small issue away, "it was fun to make him blush. He was so cute back then~"

"I was not cute. I was smart and skilled, but not cute." Arthur grumbled.

"Oh yes you were~" Francis insisted, "Especially when you tried to grow your hair out like mine. It was so adorable mon ami."

Alfred giggled, "Arthur tried to grow his hair like yours? But it's so long!"

"It's fashionable, young Alfred," Francis replied, flipping his hair to make a point, "A good sense of style is something our dear Arthur here lacks." He then smirked at Arthur to make his point.

"Not true!" Arthur retorted.

"Don't worry Arthur, I think you look nice." Mathieu said.

Arthur smiled at the cute little boy and ruffled his hair, "Thank you dear."

"You're welcome." Mathieu replied, smiling at the nation.

"Dude, can I see your hair?" Alfred asked as he walked towards Francis.

"Uh sure Alfred what do you—" Alfred then pulled Francis' head down, sat on his lap, and draped some of his long blonde hair over his head. Both Mathieu and Arthur laughed at the silly little boy; he looked as if he was wearing a cheap wig.

"Alfred, what are you doing?" Mathieu asked, laughs gurgling up his speech.

"I'm seeing how it would feel like to have long French hair." Alfred replied, pushing a stray piece away from his face. "Do I look French? What is that word Mathieu, the one for 'hello?'

Mathieu laughed and translated, "Bonjour."

"Bonjour everyone! Do you like my shiny French hair?"

"You mean _my_ shiny French hair?" Francis chuckled, quite amused at the boy's antics even though he was a bit uncomfortable with how Alfred pulled at his hair. He was tugging his neck into awkwardly bent position.

"No it's mine right now," Alfred bluntly replied. He then looked at Arthur and asked, "hey, do I look like you when you were a kid? His hair is closer to your color than mine. We are brothers after all so there's gotta be some resemblance right?"

"You look like an unique young lad. You don't need to compare yourself to anyone." Arthur warmly replied.

"Hmm, you're right. I wish I could see you as a kid so I can compare for myself though." Alfred replied, feeling disappointed.

"So, what do you think of long hair now Alfred?" Francis asked, "It's fantastic, non?"

"It's kinda annoying to have it in my face, but it is soft." Alfred remarked. He then got up from Francis's lap and returned to sit next to Mathieu, who was still giggling.

Arthur just shook his head and smiled at the perplexed looking Frenchman, who was rubbing his sore neck.

"He does stuff like that all the time." Arthur explained, "He once pretended he was me for an entire day."

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" Alfred exclaimed, "The eyebrows were the best part!"

"Oh Alfred, you had ink smeared all over your forehead by the end of the day, and my eyebrows are not as big as you drew them," Arthur responded, shaking his head at the memory. Francis laughed at this and said,

"Sounds like a lot of fun to me, Alfred. I bet you pulled him off quite nicely."

"It was, and I did!" he replied cheerfully.

"I don't think I ever tried to pretend I was you, Papa," Mathieu remarked, "I think we already look alike."

"That's right Mathieu, we are quite handsome~" he winked at the little boy, who smiled with a little burst of confidence.

"Yes well… " Arthur seemed to trail off awkwardly, and the exclaimed, "oh look at the time! It's time for dinner!"

"Food!" Alfred cried.

"That would be great! Papa, what are we having?" Mathieu asked enthusiastically.

"You're cooking?" Alfred asked Francis. He had never eaten French food before and was quite intrigued.

"Since when?" Arthur asked, "It's my kitchen."

"Yes I am. I brought all this food with me to cook a delicious meal for our two boys here, and that is final," Francis declared. He then promptly got up and walked to the kitchen.

"Hmph…well, at least let me help then!" Arthur compromised without a fight.

Everyone in that room knew that Francis was a better cook (Matthew had tasted both of the men's cooking, and informed Alfred than Francis' was indeed better).

With the two men off in the kitchen, Alfred and Mathieu discussed the past conversation.

"Well, that was fun." Mathieu remarked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah it was!" Alfred agreed. "So do you think they are getting along a bit?"

"Hmmm… I think so," Mathieu pondered and replied, "They haven't hit each other yet or anything. They seem pretty civil to one and other."

"Dude, it's working!" Alfred cried, excitement lighting up his eyes, "This is great!"

"Oui, it is. Now I just can't wait until dinner!" Mathieu exclaimed.

"Me too!" Aflred agreed.

The two boys then happily waited for dinner to be prepared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes from the author: Hello again! And welcome to my new followers *waves at everyone.* I'm so glad you are all enjoying my story. :-). Now in this chapter things will start to get...interesting ;D. Enjoy! ~ArtisticWriter796**

In the kitchen, Francis was busy at work preparing the ingredients for the dinner. Arthur hovered around the counter, looking at all the food and wondering what the bloody hell he could possibly do. He knew he was a good cook, but certainly not to Francis' standards. Did he really have to bring all that fancy cooking stuff with him? Arthur thought it was all just a big snobby display.

"Oi, is there anything I can do?" Arthur inquired, feeling a bit fidgety just standing around. Francis turned around to face him and responded,

"Hmm, oui I think. I'm not going to let you actually cook anything since it would automatically erupt into flames, but I'm sure you can manage cutting the potatoes and vegetables, non?"

"Oh come on," Arthur whined while grabbing a cutting board and a knife, "I'm not that bad you know. I cook for Alfred all the time, and he loves what I make. And my food doesn't erupt into flames!"

"Well zat's because he hasn't tasted anything besides your cooking. And your food catches on fire and then turns to ash, and that's pretty much the same thing," Francis argued.

"Whatever." Arthur huffed, knowing that he wasn't going to win this battle.

"Oh don't be upset, mon ami," Francis cooed. Arthur realized that Francis had walked up behind him. "I'm sure you will do okay with the basics, chopping up the vegetables and potatoes. I have confidence in you." Francis smiled, and reached out to him. He patted Arthur on the shoulder, resting his hand there for a few seconds, and then walked back over to the stove.

Arthur stiffened in shock when Francis had touched his shoulder. _Ugghhh he touched me_,_ gross_, he thought to himself. He ignored the little voice in his head that was actually pleasantly surprised. It wasn't that often that Arthur was shown any kind of physical affection besides from Alfred. He couldn't even remember the last time he got a hug from someone besides his little colony. He loved his hugs of course, but they were different than a hug he would get from a friend, from his mother all those centuries ago, a hug from a special someone… if that special someone ever existed that is….

It was just a tiny little touch, but the affection that surged through his body was a completely different sensation.

Arthur ignored the sudden rush of feelings brought up by that little gesture and directed this energy into chopping the veggies and potatoes.

_Get a hold of yourself, Kirkland_ –CHOP, _Why are you annoyed? That stupid frog eater shouldn't be able to bother you like this_—CHOP, _Once this night is over, you won't have to be near that loser anymore_—CHOP. CHOP. CHOP!

Fueled by his thoughts, Arthur finished cutting the ingredients quickly, and walked to where Francis was. He placed the chopped food on the counter next to Francis.

"Alright, I'm done, what do you want me to do now?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing, you have preformed your duties. You are free to go." Francis replied, doing a little salute with his hand as an adieu.

"Are you kicking me out of my own kitchen?" Arthur accused, and he was also a little hurt. Not that he wanted to spend time with the Frog face, but was he that bloody awful to have around? Francis paused and turned to England with a concerned look on his face.

"Non, I'm not," he softly explained, "I just thought you wouldn't like to stay here with me. I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, Arthur." He made a somewhat sad grin and added, "but you can stay if you'd like."

"Well I…" Arthur suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Usually he would just storm out of there, let him do all the work while he spent some time with the boys; however, for some reason he felt the desire to stay. He kind of wanted to talk to him. Francis' eyes were locked on his face, expecting some sort of answer. His eyes were so blue, like gazing into a clear pool or a cloudless sky; Arthur suddenly couldn't tear his gaze away. _Why does he have to look at me like that?_

"Oh, why the hell not?" Arthur casually replied, trying to hide his discomfort, "It'd be nice to talk, maybe I'll build up some skills to tolerate you further along as this party runs its course."

Francis smiled, a great wide smile that seemed to radiate. "D'accord, Arthur. Just don't touch the food ok?" For some reason, Arthur seemed to notice that Francis seemed _happy_ that he was staying. What the hell?

He seemed to have developed a cheery aura around him, and it showed. Especially in his eyes, those clear, sky blue eyes sparkled. Sparkled?! Was this a mistake?

"Fine then."

Francis then returned back to work. He began humming to himself as he turned on the stove, and placed some pieces of meat in a pan. Arthur just watched him for a bit; Francis had such a passionate look in his eyes, and Arthur was a bit impressed. Not that he thought Francis looked good or anything, don't think that! No, he wasn't thinking that at all…

"Hey Arthur, come over here," Francis beckoned from the stove. Arthur sighed and came up to him.

"What?" Arthur asked, his hard composure now back intact.

"I want you to try this, tell me how it is." Francis requested, scooping up a spoonful of sauce simmering in a pan.

"Why, I thought you said I had a horrible sense of taste?" Arthur sneered. He expected that Francis was simply mocking him.

"You do, but I still want to know what you think." Francis explained, his eyes trying to convince Arthur to his bidding.

"Hmph, alright fine—" Arthur went to grasp the spoon but suddenly felt it pressed up against his lips.

"Open up," Francis instructed.

"Seriously?" Arthur gurgled behind the spoon.

"Mhmmm" Francis confirmed. Arthur awkwardly opened his mouth around the spoon and tasted the sauce. It was actually very good, but he blushed with embarrassment.

"So? What do you think?" Francis asked, clearly not feeling the least bit awkward.

"It was good…" Arthur admitted, "Even though I could make it much better."

"In your dreams, mon ami." Francis laughed.

After that the two made small chat, just the same old topics that fill the average conversation. How has trade been? Good. Any trouble with your voyage? No. How is the whether up where you stay? Things went relatively normal for the two men the rest of the time, and Arthur began to relax and enjoy himself. Who knew that Francis would ever make for good company?

Mathieu recognized the scent of his Papa's cooking wafting into the room. _Mmmmmmm…_ he thought to himself happily, _dinner must be ready soon._ His prediction was proved too when he heard his brother shout,

"ARRTHHUURRR!"

Said man was walking towards them with a smile on his face.

"Dinner is ready loves, go sit at the table and I'll be helping Francis bring up the food," Arthur announced warmly.

"Okay!" both boys cheered in unison. They each scurried up to their seats and pulled up to the table. Alfred began to play with the silverware while he waited; Mathieu just rested his head in his hands, enjoying the moment.

Then a cheery, "Dinner is ready!" echoed from the hallway. Francis first came into the living room. He was holding a tray with succulent slices of meat accented with delicious herbs that was drizzled with au jus. Arthur followed him, carrying a platter of roasted vegetables drizzled with olive oil in one hand, and a bowl of steaming potatoes in the other. Francis placed the meat in the center of the table and went back to the kitchen; he returned with a freshly baked baguette and butter. Arthur placed down his items and went to serve the food onto the boys' plates.

After the food was all brought and everyone was served, the two little boys hungrily dove into their meals.

The rest of the dinner went along without any issues. Arthur and Francis bickered a bit a times of course—_The stuff I make is much better. Oh, okay, whatever you say even though it's wrong_—but it was mainly filled with laughs and lively conversations. After the dinner the adults cleaned up the dishes, and the stuffed children wobbled over to the living room.

They took this moment to themselves to discuss the events of the night so far.

"Dude, I think it's working, they're actually getting along better!" Alfred cheered.

"Yeah they are!" Mathieu agreed, thinking about how the two actually smiled at each other and laughed at each other's jokes during dinner, "It's working to some extent at least."

The two boys gave each other a high five in victory. They were really enjoying themselves; not only were they enjoying the company of each other, but the company of the two adults as well. Things felt like they were almost perfect.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note from the author: Oh guys, I am so sorry for the long wait! School has been crazy, so I haven't gotten a chance to post. I finally got a break, so now I happily present my next chapter to you! Thank you so much for the follows and the reviews, I really appreciate it! It makes me happy to think people are enjoying this story as much as I am. Enjoy! :D **

**~ArtisticWriter796 **

After dinner the four sat down in the living room and chatted a bit longer. Then, Francis announced to the children, "So, are you ready for your big surprise now?"

"A surprise?!" They both inquired, their eyes twinkling with excitement. Francis and Arthur smiled at one and other; they knew all along about this secret. It was a delicious secret. They discussed it earlier when they were settling the plans for the party, and had it baking while they were eating dinner secretly.

"Oui, we prepared something special for our two birthday boys," Francis exclaimed, turning to Arthur to explain the rest. He was beaming.

"A nice chocolate cake for you dears~" he revealed. Francis quickly got up and went to the kitchen, returning with he cake.

The boys cheered in joy as they rushed over to the table. The adults cut a piece for each boy and themselves. Then they began to sing, taking turns with the verses:

"Happy Birthday to you," Arthur began

"Bonne anniversaire a toi," Francis sang

"Happy Birthday," again Arthur, then Francis, "cher Mathieu,"

"And Alfred." Arthur added.

"Happy birthday to you!" The two finished in English.

The two boys had a smile as wide as the continent, and Mathieu said,

"Wow guys, thank you so much. That was great." He was so immensely touched by everything that had happened and how wonderful the night was going; turning to the side and looking at his brother, he could tell he felt the same way too.

"Yeah," Alfred agreed, "And I bet this cake is just as great, let's eat!" The adults laughed together, and Arthur said,

"You're welcome dears, we just want to see you happy."

"Oui, it's true, we know how much this meant to you," Francis explained, "So we wanted to make it the very best we could."

At that, the two boys rushed over to their guardians and grabbed them together into a group hug.

The following minute was a quiet, tender, and beautiful moment that all four nations keep fondly in their hearts to this day. It was just the four of them alone; No pressures of bosses or international tensions, just the simplicity of togetherness. The boys found comfort in the warm embrace of their guardians, feeling that they truly were _home_. The guardians themselves were just happy to spend a normal moment with their boys, feeling as if all their responsibilities as countries had been lifted for a while. At that moment the world didn't matter, only the love that the boys had for their guardians and they love they had for them.

"BANG BANG!" A harsh pounding at the door startled them, and Arthur tensely demanded,

"Who the bloody hell is that? And at this hour?"

"BANG BANG BANG!" Whoever it was, they sure didn't seem to be leaving. Directly after the second pounding of the door, a muffled voice shouted, "This is urgent!" Francis stood up from the other three in response.

"D-do you know who it is, Papa?" Mathieu nervously asked, fear in his voice. The harsh knocking had scared the children, who were now clinging onto Arthur. Arthur himself subconsciously had his arms around the two boys in protection, and his eyes asked Francis the same question.

"Uh, I think so. I'm going to find out" Francis walked to the door as three pairs of worried eyes followed him. He leaned towards the door and asked,

"Who is it?"

The anonymous voice replied,

"It's an officer of this colony and a man of your country. We need to ask you some questions. We have been informed that you have permission to stay in our colony for the night, and we must speak on a certain matter

In confusion Francis slowly opened the door and found a man accompanied by an English policeman. The man's clothes were in tatters, but were distinctively of a French style.

"See? I told you he was here!" cried the strange man.

His eyes drifted past the doorway into the living room, where Arthur and the boys had moved. His eyes seemed to add silently, _avec Angleterre?_ Arthur noticed the strange man's eyes and shifted protectively in front of the boys, glaring at the intruder. The officer however did not see a glimpse into the house.

"Uh, oui I'm here," Francis shifted in the doorway so that the gaze of the curious eyes was blocked, "What can I do for you officer. Has one of my citizens caused trouble?"

"Yes, they have," the officer bluntly confirmed, "It seems that a trading ship from your country has crashed into one of our ports, and I will need you to come with me to settle the issue."

"Officer, is that really necessary?" Francis asked, "I'm sure they can handle it on their own, and I'm a bit busy at the moment—"

"Yes it is necessary." The officer cut him off, "there is no one else here of merit or credibility to settle the issue with them to our town department. Now if you would please come with us for a bit." The guard motioned outside. Francis held his annoyance and disappointment inside of him as he responded,

"Alright, I'll come. Let me just grab my coat and settle a few issues inside. Just a moment." He lightly closed the door on the two men before they could answer and Arthur asked,

"They aren't really making you go, are they?"

"It's your colony Arthur, unless you can convince them not to. I don't think you would want to though," Francis responded.

"Well no I wouldn't mind trying to have a go at it, but I don't make the rules in the colonies. I doubt it would do any good. I'm sorry…" he trailed off and then hopefully asked, "it won't take too long will it?"

" I don't know, but I'll try to make it back soon."

Alfred and Mathieu had sat in silence watching the whole scene unfold but then Mathieu cried,

"Papa, please don't be gone too long."

"Yeah, we're going to miss you!" Alfred added, saddened to see his new friend go. Both boys felt as if their plan was unraveling at the seams. The night was going so well before!

"Oh don't worry mes chers," Francis replied, "I won't be gone for too long. Until then, make sure you bother Arthur a lot ok?"

Mathieu quickly ran up to Francis and hugged him. He kneeled down to Mathieu's height and gave him a kiss on his head.

"It's ok mon garcon, have fun ok?" he smiled sadly. He felt awful, and absolutely furious at the stupid merchants.

"Ok, I will," Mathieu promised. He then pealed himself off of Francis and went over to Arthur. He hugged him, looking up and saying, "Arthur, I am looking forward to it."

Arthur looked happily down at the little boy, relieved that he was feeling a bit happier. It was heartbreaking to see him so upset.

"Alright, well we'll stay up for you." Arthur declared, looking sadly at Francis. Although he would never admit it, he was disappointed he was leaving too.

"Okay, I'll be looking forward to my return. The responsibilities of a nation, they are terrible at times." Francis stated. He then put on his coat, bid a final "au revoir," and walked out of the door.

There was an awkward silence after the door closed shut until Alfred slowly questioned,

"Sooooooo, what are we going to do now?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A note from the author:**

**Hey Guys! I know I left the story on a bit of a bad note, and I apologize for that. BUT you'll find that the next few chapters are gonna be super cute and I think you'll enjoy it! Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Plus, another story is in the works so yeah :-). Enjoy! **

**~ArtisticWriter796**

Arthur was scrambling for an idea. He could tell that both boys were upset about Francis' departure. He had to think of something great to lift their spirits up again. As he thought, he suddenly had an idea flash into his mind from earlier that day. It was when Alfred and he were talking, before the doorbell rang. Yes! That was what they were going to do.

"What we are going to do now is have some fun," Arthur boldly announced, jumping up from this seat. He was determined to make these boys have a fantastic night, even with the little mishap that just occurred. "And, I know exactly what we need. We're going on an adventure lads," Arthur declared. Mathieu looked up at him, perplexed.

"Ooooh, what kind of adventure?" Alfred asked excitedly. Mathieu looked with confusion from Alfred to Arthur; clearly they were talking about something that they knew, and he did not.

"Yes, what kind of adventure?" Mathieu hesitantly asked. Arthur and Alfred both smiled at him as Arthur explained,

"An adventure of danger and excitement, my dear, the kind that you embark on from a boat, sailing into the vast unknown. The rush of the ocean breeze against your face, the thrill of the plunder, the glimmer of the gold, ah yes! We are venturing back into the time where I ruled the seas…"

Mathieu watched as Arthur's narration got more animate. He could see a glimmer in Arthur's green eyes and Alfred bouncing up and down in his peripheral vision. Arthur continued, asking, "So boys, how would you like to go on a treasure hunt? I need someone to be my companion against the armada to capture the treasure…"

At this point Mathieu was completely and utterly confused, maybe a little bit concerned. He wondered if Arthur was going through one of those "psychotic hallucinations" Francis told him about…

"PIRATES! PIRATES! Can I be the bad guy this time? HUH?" Alfred excitedly cheered. _Oh, now I get it…_ Mathieu thought to himself, and started to absorb the excitement his brother was radiating now that he understood. Curious if his guess was true, he asked,

"Arthur, were you once a pirate?" Arthur smiled and happily replied,

"Yes, I was the best pirate of all the seas! I was quite a rebel when I was younger."

"I'll get the swords and the treasure!" Alfred cheered, and raced off down a hallway.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Mathieu said to Arthur, interested at this new fact he learned about him, "Who did you fight?"

"Mainly Spain and his armada. He was so fun to mess with, and he was pretty easy to beat too. We called him the 'loser-marda.'" Mathieu giggled at the joke, and Alfred raced back into the room with a big box.

Alfred placed a paper hat on his head and grabbed a paper sword. He then tossed a paper sword to Mathieu.

"Now it's time to play! I'm Captain Evil Beard, and you two will never take my treasure!" Alfred grabbed a sack filled with coins and dashed away from the two others.

Arthur bent over and rummaged through the box as well, grabbing an eye patch, another sword, and a bandana with golden coins hanging from it. He tied the bandana around Mathieu's little head.

"There, now you are officially a member of my crew, Matthew." Arthur announced, and continued, "It's a pleasure to have you. I'm Captain Kirkland." He reached his hand out to shake Mathieu's hand. Mathieu gently took his hand.

"It's a pleasure to be here." Mathieu shyly replied, still adjusting to his pirate-personage.

"Alright, our mission today is to steal Captain Evil Beard's treasure. He's lurking somewhere along this grotto. Are you ready to take the challenge?" Arthur dared, challenging his little crewmate.

"Yes captain!" Mathieu answered, feeling a bit excited. His shell of shyness was melting away.

"Alright, let's get going then!" Arthur commanded.

The two boys then began to search the house, which had transformed into a dark mysterious cave through Arthur's descriptions. He directed Mathieu every now and again, making sure he wouldn't fall into any 'water' or not to trip over a 'skeleton' near by. Mathieu could often hear the quick footsteps of his brother, and called Arthur over to track him down. After a while (and after the circling the house several times) they found Alfred waiting in the living room (now redubbed the island in the center of the river), sitting on the carpet.

"Argh! So we meet again, Evil Beard!" Arthur shouted. Alfred quickly turned around and smugly replied,

"Argh, we do! There is no way you and your friend are going to steal my treasure."

"We'll see about that!" Mathieu cried. At that moment, Arthur and Mathieu lunged both of their paper swords towards Alfred; this was a technique they had discussed during the search. The three boys fiercely clashed their paper swords against each other in battle, laughing the whole time. Arthur was slightly ahead, and seemed to have almost cornered Alfred.

"Alright, you're trapped! Now hand over the treasure." Arthur demanded.

"No, you seem to be the one trapped to me!" Alfred shouted. With that, he poked Arthur in the stomach with his paper sword. Arthur fell dramatically to the ground.

"Ahhh, Matthew, it's all up to you now!" Arthur gasped. He then pretend-passed-out, and it was just Alfred and Mathieu.

"Bring it on!" Mathieu confidently challenged. The two brothers lunged at each other, playfully swinging their swords together until Mathieu jumped forward and struck Alfred in the chest.

"Arrgghhh!" Alfred yelled, "You got me! I am defeated!" He then made a bunch of gurgling noises and collapsed onto the ground. Mathieu quickly grabbed the sack from his brother and shouted,

"I got the treasure!"

Arthur and Alfred then awoke from their fake-death laughing.

"Well done Matthew!" Arthur congratulated, " you make an excellent pirate."

"I let him win!" Alfred insisted, even though all three knew Mathieu won fair and square.

"That was sooo much fun Arthur!" Mathieu exclaimed, "I didn't know you could be this silly."

"Oh, I'm glad you had fun. Exercising imagination is good for you, and I'm no stranger to that." Arthur replied. He then made a groan of discomfort, clutching at his back, "But I may be getting a bit too old for all this." He chuckled. Alfred made a large yawn and Arthur glanced at the clock; it was getting pretty late.

"Getting tired now? You two go and get changed, I'll be right here and we can read a story before bead. Come on now, chop chop." Arthur instructed. The two boys went off to Alfred's room to change, and Arthur went to retrieve a story. As he was walking he made quite a large yawn himself. _Goodness, I guess we all are a bit tired, _he thought to himself. He then returned to the living room, sitting in front of the warmth of the fire.

The two boys walked into the living room to find Arthur sitting legs-crossed in front of the fire.

"Hello, boys," he called to them, "Ready for a story?"

The two boys ran over to him and sat on his lap. Alfred was always excited for story time, but Mathieu was the first one to exclaim,

"I'm really excited to hear a story from you Arthur. From all the fun we've had tonight, I know this is going to be great!" He then snuggled closer to Arthur, happily content.

Arthur couldn't help but smile at the little boy's enthusiasm. At first he thought that Mathieu was just really shy or maybe even a little afraid; however, he now understood that he was just simply _different_ than Alfred. Alfred was constantly talking, running around, and tended to make a scene if he wasn't closely watched. He was supercharged and reactive as gunpowder; he was a spirit that couldn't be tamed for a second. Mathieu, on the other hand, was another story. He was quiet and observant, and when he spoke his voice was soft and gentle. He seemed to be happier just going with the flow and felt no need to dramatically stand out; his spirit was calm. He was a sweet little boy, and Arthur was happy to spend time with him and Alfred. Maybe he could even teach Alfred to be a little less hyperactive… even though he wouldn't change the two of them for the world.

Alfred snuggled closer to Arthur as well, resting his tired head against him.

"Alright, here is the story about the brave night and the beautiful princess…"

Arthur went on to read the story, giving all the characters different voices and brining the story to life. The children laughed, he laughed, and by the end of the story all three boys were struggling to keep their eyes open.

"That was a good story dude." Alfred stated, yawning as soon as he finished the sentence.

"Mmmhmm," Mathieu agreed, his little eyes already closed.

"Well, we should stay up until Francis gets home," Arthur groggily stated, "But crikey I'm tired…" With that, he started to fall backwards. Catching himself, he decided, "How about this, we all lie down for a bit and then go off to bed, yes?"

"Sure," Alfred yawned.

"We'll see Papa when he gets home," Mathieu mumbled.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fun with him too." Alfred added

"Yes we did, I hope he comes home soon…" Mathieu whispered.

All three boys were soon lying down on the soft carpet, warmed by the soothing fire. The two little boys curled up next to Arthur and let their eyelids close.

"Now remember, we aren't going to fall asl—"


	7. Chapter 7

**Note from the author:**

**Hi you guys! Sorry for not updating in a while, but I've been super busy. However, I am free now and wanna say HAPPY BUON SAN VALENTINO DAY! Part 1 just got animated, and I thought I'd upload my next chapter to celebrate! I think you guys will like this chapter. :-). Reviews and stuff are appreciated, so thank you! I'm so glad you guys enjoy this story :-). I'm thinking of new story plots that I am developing, so there will be more from me soon. Until then, enjoy mes chers~ :D **

**~ArtisticWriter796**

**French translations: "les connards"= Idiots. "C'est moi": It's me, "Quoi?": What? :3 **

"Les connards." Francis grumbled to himself. He had spent the last two hours at the coast dealing with that shipwreck. You'd think they'd at least crash in their own territory? No, a huge cargo ship just had to crash into England's colonies, and he had to go clear it up so the stupid troops wouldn't be shot. At least he can finally come back to the boys. And to Arthur. Why he felt happy about the last part he wasn't too sure…

Francis opened the door of the house and called,

"Hello, c'est moi. No need to attack any intruders."

He anticipated a very irate Arthur shoving a pistol into his face with that furious glare of his; however, not a single voice acknowledged his arrival. "That's odd…" Francis pointed out to himself, and cautiously entered.

"Arthur, Mathieu, Alfred?" He called out from the doorway, but again all that answered him was silence. He could easily see the fire in the living room and there seemed to be no sign of struggle, so he reasoned that nothing bad could have happened. He was still a tad nervous though, a slight fear clenching around his throat. Where was everyone?

Francis quickly hung up his coat and locked the door, then dashed to the living room. At first he didn't see anyone, but then heard a little noise come below. He looked down on the carpet and instantly his anxiety was melted away.

Sprawled across the center of the floor on his back was Arthur, with Alfred and Mathieu snuggled up to him on each side. All three boys were in a deep sleep, appearing so peaceful under the gentle glow of the fire. Alfred faced Arthur, resting his head on his chest. Mathieu rested his head on Arthur's chest too, curling his arms to himself. Arthur had his arms spread out, as if protecting the boys as they slept. An open book laid near his right hand, indicating that Arthur had done some story-telling. Firelight danced off of their blonde heads, and Francis could see a faint smile on Arthur's lips.

"Awwwww" Francis gushed to himself. He couldn't help but smile at the adorable scene before him. Francis looked at Arthur again, analyzing his face under the spiky blonde hair. _He's actually smiling. I barely even see him smile, except when he is with the boys, _Francis thought, _He looks…happy. I didn't think that was possible. He looks so much better smiling… _he trailed off to himself. As a matter of fact, Francis thought Arthur looked quite handsome under the flickers of the firelight; he may or may not have checked him out just a little bit.

Francis just wanted to stay in this moment forever, watching the love that was circulating between the three boys and that lovely smile on Arthur's face. He felt a glow of admiration for said nation in his heart, something that he hadn't felt for him since they were as small as Alfred and Mathieu. He sighed happily, thanking the good fortune to have come across this intimate moment in their—dare he say it— their little family.

He decided that he would bring the little boys to bed, and then wake up Arthur to let him know he had came back. Arthur would have punched him in the face if he tried to carry _him_ to bed as well. That Englishman was always making assumptions wasn't he? He was so afraid of l'amour…

He first carefully scooped up Mathieu, carrying him to the hallway that led to Alfred's room. The little nation stirred in his arms, and looked up at the person carrying him.

"Unghhh…P-Papa?" Mathieu uttered, slumber making his speech slurred.

"Sssh Sssh mon cher, c'est moi. Go back to sleep." The little boy dropped his head back against Francis' neck and dozed off again. He went into Alfred's room and turned down the bed with his free hand. After he tucked Mathieu in he spotted a sleeping cap on a shelf. Smiling, he grabbed said hat and placed it on Mathieu's head. He then went back out to get Alfred. Alfred didn't stir at all when Francis carried him to his room, which he was thankful for since Alfred probably would've woken everyone up. He tucked Alfred right next to Mathieu, and a sleeping cap on his head that was on another shelf. Francis then stood back, and admired the two children. _They are just like little angels,_ he thought to himself.

He walked back out to the living room to Arthur. He had to be careful with how he woke Arthur up, because he knew that he could arouse a panic from him if he was too close. Francis kneeled down cautiously at Arthur's side and gently touched his shoulder.

"Arthur, wake up Arthur. It's me." Francis softly said, nudging Arthur with his hand. Arthur made a groan sound, as if telling Francis to shut up. Francis tried again, "Arthur, Arthur—"

His eyes groggily began to peer open, but then suddenly whipped open large and wide when he processed Francis' face. The man was close to him, and Arthur's self-defense system ignited.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Arthur shouted, jumping up to a sitting position. His emerald eyes shot unspoken accusations.

"I'm waking you up, I just got back and I found you asleep on the floor." Francis answered, not surprised but a little hurt by Arthur's reaction.

"Oh yes, right. Sorry about that." Arthur responded, crossing an arm across his torso. A little awkward span of silence settled between the two men. However, Arthur broke it by saying warmly,

"You know, the boys wanted to stay up to see you come back. They told me they had a lot of fun with you."

"Really?" Francis asked, delighted.

"Yeah. Of course they had _loads_ of fun with me, but they liked hanging around you too." Arthur stated, his smile seeming to challenge Francis.

"Oh, well of course, Arthur. You are _loads_ of fun," he responded sarcastically.

"Damn right I am," he remarked with playful look on his face. "They took quite an amusement in our pirate adventures. Pirates are, as Alfred says, 'cool.'"

"Oh really? Well I'm glad they had fun, with you…" he paused, and tried, "and with both of us."

With that both of them just looked at each other for a bit, their eyes locking. Arthur was the first to look away, awkwardly uttering

"Yes well…" he looked around him, and his entire body stiffened, "Wait, where are the boys now?" he asked Francis.

"I brought them to bed. They are safe and sound." Francis reported to him.

"Okay. Well, I'm just going to check on them now." He replied with—was that a worried tone? Arthur quickly got up and disappeared into the darkness of the hallway. Francis watched him go, observing him as he left.

_Wow,_ he thought to himself, _He was so concerned, and now he's checking up on them. He's acting so grown up…like a parent._ He knew the feisty and loud Arthur of their childhood, the merciless Arthur of their centuries of hatred and battle, but this was a completely new version. He thought just that little moment was quite beautiful. He wanted to see more, to share more of these moments with the children awake…

After a few moments of his daydreaming Arthur returned into the room, and said something in a happy voice:

"The caps."

He seemed quite delighted, which puzzled Francis.

"Uh…quoi?" Francis responded.

"The sleeping caps, you put them on the boys." Arthur clarified, his voice sounding still strangely happy. Francis wasn't used to Arthur using such a nice tone with him.

"Oh oui, I saw them on the shelf and I thought they were cute. Surely they were there for a reason, non? I thought they would like it." Francis stated, smiling at the memory of the two little boys so adorable together.

"Alfred _loves_ his sleep cap," Arthur gushed, "He says he likes to pretend he's a wizard like me, and that he can make magic in his dreams." He laughed, his smile wider than ever. Francis noticed that Arthur saying 'Alfred' brought such a light to his eyes. Arthur continued, "I thought Matthew would like one too, since it's much colder where he is. You know, something for him to help remind him of me. He really is a delightful boy. " He sighed, looking back at Francis. "Of course you know that already."

"Oui, he really is." Francis agreed. "He is so sweet and so polite, so caring about everything. I do not think I have met a kinder person, and I find that I have been taught a lot by him. I am truly blessed to have him in my life." He looked off to the side, the love overflowing his heart.

Both men just spent a minute sitting and smiling, thinking about the little boys that brought them so much joy. It really was a blessing for the both of them.

"We have great little colonies Arthur," Francis said, looking back to him to see his response. That could've been a horrific thing to say if Arthur reacted his usual way, stubbornly guarding his territory and fiercely denying any association to the Frenchman at all. However, he simply sighed and answered,

"Yes, we really do."

The two men sat for a while, Arthur filling Francis in on all the activities his missed while he was gone. Lots of laughs and smiles were shared between the two as Arthur retold the night; this brief span of time was the most that the two have gotten along in over a century. Gradually both men got rather tired and Arthur was finished talking about the night, so Francis said,

"Well, it's very late. I suppose I should go to a tavern and pick Mathieu up in the morning?"

"Uh, well you really don't have to go now." Arthur said rather awkwardly. Francis raised his eyebrows in shock.

"What do you mean Arthur?" he asked, trying to keep his sudden thoughts muffled.

"It's really late, and who knows what is lurking around this time of night. You should stay…" he quickly added "Plus I'm sure the boys would be happy to see you in the morning."

"D'accord…" Francis replied skeptically, not sure what to expect. "Where would you want me to sleep then?" he acquired, trying his best to sound normal in this unusual situation.

"Oh uh...There!" Arthur declared, pointing at the couch. In that moment, Francis could have sworn he saw a slight blush on Arthur's checks.

_Ooooh he just thought of something bad didn't he… _he realized, and laughed to himself.

"What?" Arthur accused, responding to the chuckle.

"Oh nothing," he smiled, quite amused. "It's just I can tell you had a little thought about us float by, am I right? Something…improper?"

At that, Arthur's face turned bright red, his eyes glowing with suppressed embarrassment.

"Did I? What thought did _you_ think I thought? Care to enlighten me? " He challenged, still flustered.

"Oh Arthur mon cher, you always think the worst of me don't you? You really don't need to, unless you want to of course…." Francis smirked, enjoying making Arthur uncomfortable. It was hilarious to get him all agitated. Plus that blush was absolutely adorable.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Arthur denied, his emerald eyes sending a flaming glare, "However, I suggest you don't push it."

"Oh ok I'm sorry, will you ever forgive me?" Francis jokingly apologized, holding up his hands in mock defeat.

"Mhmmm…" Arthur grumbled. He then went down a hallway and re-emerged with some blankets and a pillow, and dropped them on the sofa. He walked back over to Francis and said,

"Goodnight, you bloody Frogface."

"Bonne nuit, Angleterre Eyebrows!" Francis replied. Both men went to sleep, each replaying the events of the night in their minds.

**Another note from the author: That scene where Arthur and the boys are asleep is my favorite. I actually wrote the story around that image; it just came to me one day, and I just had to get it down in words. And thus, this story was born! Just a little fun fact for you guys. See ya next time! :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note from the Author: Hi guys! So here it is, the very last installment of "How A Family Was Made"! I'm sad to see it end, since I had a great time writing it and reliving it while I posted, but I'm glad to share the ending with you. I hope you all enjoyed it, and more stories are in process! It may be a while before I post something again, but when I do it's gonna be great I promise! Until then mes chers, enjoy the last chapter of this little tale. Thank you to the follows and reviews~**

**Now, Enjoy :D**

**~ArtisticWriter796**

Arthur woke up early like he always did. He checked on the boys, who were still sound asleep, and went to the kitchen to make some tea. After obtaining the delicious nectar, Arthur wandered into the living room. At first he jumped a bit at the reclining form on the couch, but then remembered the events of the night before.

The night before, when only the two of them were left awake. Were they actually _bonding_ at that time? Arthur had difficulty believing his memories, but he admitted that they were rather nice. He had a nice time with Francis. It was weird, but a sort of good weird he couldn't quite explain. Were they actually getting along?

Arthur gently placed down his teacup on a near by table and cautiously approached Francis. He appeared to be sleeping, but Arthur wanted to make sure. He couldn't imagine Francis catching him wearing his pajamas and robe. How crude! He was a safe distance away from him, but close enough to be able to lean ever so slightly to see his face.

He was truly sleeping. His golden hair fell like strands of liquid gold around his face. His features were relaxed, and his chest rose and fell with smooth breathing. Arthur noticed that he was wearing a light, slightly unbuttoned cotton shirt—different than the one the night before, and a blanket covered the rest of his body. He then noticed a pile of clothes neatly folded at the end of the couch. He looked at his face one more time. Arthur realized that Francis had really long eyelashes…and nicely shaped eyebrows…and his hair looked nice the way the sun reflected off of it….

Arthur shook his head, expelling those foolish thoughts from his mind. He was much more handsome than Francis, not that he thought Francis was or anything. Oh, not at all. He then retreated to the armchair across the room and finished his tea in a peaceful silence as he read the paper. This was perhaps one of Arthur's favorite times with Francis; he didn't have to listen to him talk and could just enjoy the company.

Francis was unconscious, completely emerged under the veil of sleep. He didn't know where he was or how long he'd been there; he was perfectly detached from the world. It was quite nice, with dreams of beautiful things entertaining him while he slept. One of the things he happened to dream about was Arthur. He didn't say anything really, just sort of walked into a café to order something and walked right back out, as simple as that. In the dream Francis felt a desire to talk to him, but he seemed to not have noticed at all, or possibly ignored him. This annoyed Francis…how very strange.

Breaking his peaceful sleep was a large pressure that was pressing down on his stomach, and he could hear barely-audible voices from afar.

_ Alfred, you shouldn't sit on him like that!_

_ Oh Mattie, he's asleep. He won't know! He's hasn't woken up yet has he?_

_ No, but he might if you keep sitting on him! _

_ Ah, it's no big deal. Plus he needs to get up soon; breakfast is almost ready. _

_ Yeah I guess that's true—ugh, what are you doing now?_

Francis began to feel a tugging on his scalp and was brought into consciousness. He woke up to find Alfred sitting on top of him, playing with his hair. Mathieu was at his right, looking annoyed.

"Bonjour Alfred," he greeted. Said boy recoiled back, adding more pressure onto Francis' stomach. Francis groaned in pain.

"Yo dude, you're awake! That's awesome. Come on, breakfast is ready now!" Alfred sharply jumped off of Francis and raced over to the table. Francis held his stomach where Alfred had jumped off and turned his head to the side to address Mathieu.

"Bonjour, Mathieu." He smiled.

"Bonjour Papa, I'm glad you're back now." Mathieu held his hand and smiled back at his guardian.

"Aww, me too mon cher." Francis lovingly replied. He then sat up and got up from the couch. Before he could turn Arthur greeted him.

"Oh, so you finally decided to wake up? Welcome back." He called, placing a plate on the table and looking up at him. Francis couldn't really tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic. In any event, he and Mathieu walked hand-in-hand to the kitchen table, where breakfast was spread out at each place.

"What on earth did you make, Arthur?" Francis questioned, afraid to try whatever slop Arthur had prepared.

"A fine English breakfast. Here we have some porridge, some tea, and some delightful scones." Arthur announced, looking quite proud of his work. "I got up early to cook so you wouldn't steal my thunder again."

Francis sighed. He looked at the colorless stuff in the bowl. It didn't look _that_ bad to his surprise. The tea was in a pretty teapot that was delicately painted with flowers, and had matching cups to boot; he had to give a point to him on that. Lastly, there were some heavily toasted-looking pastries in a platter, which he assumed to be the scones. At lease they weren't burnt.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot." Francis said. Arthur sort of perked up in a happy way, but then shook it off as he went to sit in his seat. Alfred, who was already heavily chowing down, reassured Francis with a full mouth,

"Don't worry, it's good!"

Mathieu and Francis exchanged uneasy looks, but then politely ate the food they were served.

After breakfast the boys and Francis went to go wash up and get changed. After about a half an hour it was time for Francis and Mathieu to make their departure back home to Canada. There was business to attend to.

Before they left their room, Alfred and Mathieu took a little moment to talk to each other.

"So, what do you think? Was this a success?" Alfred asked Mathieu. Mathieu smiled and replied,

"I think overall it was. I was sad Papa had to leave for a bit, but I had a great time with all of you. It was great to get to know Arthur better, and the two of them _definetly _got along better."

"Yeah they did…" Alfred replied, his tome more serious, "Honestly, during last night and this morning, I think we got what we were hoping for. All the children in the colonies talk to their parents, eat dinner, play games, and listen to bedtime stories. And then someone makes breakfast for his or her kids in the morning. Even though all that typical stuff happened, and Arthur and Francis aren't really our parents, I _felt _that we were a real family. I'm really happy dude." Alfred smiled, his eyes glittering.

"I agree," Mathieu added, "Just hugging them when we were eating cake…just that little moment made me feel like we had a real family like everyone else. We did it, Alfred. At least for last night and this morning, we did it. We had our family."

Both little boys were so overwhelmed by their emotions and held each other in close hug. Just all that love, all that happiness they felt; the feeling was just absolutely amazing. Although both colonies are now fully grown nations, they still keep that memory very close to their hearts today. There is perhaps nothing more sweet in this world than the love within a family.

When the two boys returned Francis bundled up Mathieu in his coat and gathered all the things they brought. Now it was time for the hard part.

"Alright dears, time to say good bye," Arthur informed sadly. Alfred and Mathieu gave each other another big hug and gave each other a casual goodbye. They were sure that they were going to see each other again soon, and just smiled despite the sad departure. Arthur walked up to Mathieu and hugged him, kissing him on the top of his head.

"Good bye, Matthew. I'll see you soon, dear."

"Good bye Arthur, thank you for taking me on that pirate adventure," Mathieu replied, and gave him a little salute.

"Time for me to say goodbye too then." Francis stated. He leaned over and hugged Alfred, who just about crushed his ribs in a hug.

"It was nice hanging with ya dude!" He exclaimed.

"Oui, you too Alfred." Francis replied. And he meant it. Alfred was a fun little boy to be around.

Now the two adults awkwardly looked at each other. Alfred and Mathieu tried not to look, pretending to look at something in the living room.

"Well, I guess it wasn't all that bad having you around Francis, although we're never going to be friends. Have a safe journey back home." Arthur formally stated. He robotically held out his hand to Francis, which he took.

"Well, it wasn't all that bad being around you either Arthur. I might even say that I had a bit of fun," he smiled and then continued, "Good bye, Arthur."

He then turned and called over Mathieu. With a final wave and a smile, the two boys left and Arthur shut the door.

Alfred looked up at Arthur and asked,

"Well, wasn't that fun?"

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and responded,

"Yes, I suppose it was quite fun. But I'm glad things are going to be normal for a while."

"Ok—oh! I forgot to make my bed, I'll be right back." Alfred remembered. He then rushed off. Arthur looked perplexed after him. _That's weird, _he thought, _he never is tidy… _

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Francis' voice filtered though, saying,

"Arthur, open up. I forgot something." Arthur rolled his eyes and opened the door.

"Yes, what is it?"

Without any warning, Francis dipped forward and pecked Arthur on the cheek.

Arthur's face burned a bright red: part shock, part embarrassment, part…. A feeling that he didn't know how to describe. His mouth was agape as he stared at Francis. He smiled and declared,

"That was it."

He then turned around and ran away to the carriage in the distance, laughing, "Au revoir, Angleterre!"

Out of instinct Arthur hurled a bunch of curses at his direction until the carriage disappeared from sight. After that he retreated back into the house, his blush still very much there. He slowly raised his hand up to the placed on his cheek where Francis' lips grazed him.

He didn't know what quite to think, but somehow he was smiling.

Arthur was so spaced out that he didn't even notice Alfred who walked right in front of him.

"Hey, you're blushing! What happened?" he asked, curious.

Alarmed, Arthur replied, "Oh nothing! Nothing at all! How about you go do your chores now?"

The rest of the day went completely normal after that, but something had defiantly changed for them after that night.

During that time, Mathieu and Alfred were able to simulate the family that they had observed throughout their childhood lives. Although they were able to make themselves happy, they also made a significant impact on Arthur and Francis.

Although neither of them would ever admit it out loud, they knew that what happened was significant. The boys connected them to each other. It really wasn't just who owned which colony any more, it was that to making the little boys they cared about happy. It was going to take hard work, part of that work being working together. Although there was a tough road ahead of them, after that night they were willing to make an effort. A family cares for each other, no matter what.

THE END! :D


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